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22 August 2025

Institute news

Include a Charity Week

This September, hundreds of charities, including the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, will come together for Include a Charity Week — a national campaign that encourages Australians to consider leaving a gift in their Will to the causes they care about most.

This year’s theme, “Plant a Seed Today, Change the World Tomorrow,” is a powerful representation for legacy giving. When you plant a seed, you don’t do it for today. You do it for tomorrow — for the lives it might touch, the shade it could offer, the future it quietly shapes. A gift in your Will works the same way.

Spearheaded by Fundraising Institute Australia, Include a Charity Week is part of a global movement to raise awareness about bequests and their incredible potential to transform communities, lives, and the planet. Taking place from 1–7 September 2025, the campaign brings together more than 100 Australian charities spanning sectors including health, education, the arts, humanitarian aid, and environmental protection.

Gifts in Wills and Estates Manager at the Baker Institute, Sofia Ramos says a gift in your Will is one of the most inspiring ways to leave a legacy for a healthier future. Baker Institute Director, Professor John Greenwood agrees, saying a gift in Will enables us to look to the future and push the boundaries of what is possible.

“For nearly a century, the Baker Institute has been supported by a generous gift in Will, enabling us to continue fighting to find cures for heart disease and diabetes,” Professor Greenwood says. “Your gift in Will could help the Institute discover new treatments and even cures to overcome heart disease and diabetes for generations to come.”

Helen Beeby, Campaign Director for Include a Charity, says: “We often think of a Will as a way to take care of the people we love. But it’s also an opportunity to leave a mark — a legacy that reflects your values and beliefs. Including a gift in your will is a commitment to the longevity of causes you care about: be it curing diseases, supporting the arts, helping animals, defending the vulnerable or protecting our environment.”

Bequests are often the largest donation a person will ever make — and the impact is profound. Over the last decade, charitable gifts in Wills in Australia has significantly increased, currently contributing about $1.6 billion of fundraising revenue annually.

A 2024 benchmarking study by More Strategic, conducted with Include a Charity member organisations, reported a 5.5% increase in bequest income in FY2023, with gifts in Wills now accounting for 24% of overall fundraising revenue for charities. And here at the Baker Institute, gifts in Wills account for 37% of fundraising revenue.

For our Institute, that support could translate to a healthier tomorrow for everyone. “Imagine if one day we could vaccinate young people against heart disease so they would never experience a heart attack. Or imagine if we found a cure for diabetes and saved people experiencing devastating complications. These dreams can become a reality with your support,” says Professor Greenwood.

Visit our website to learn more about how you can leave a legacy to benefit future generations.

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